Incline
  • Home
  • Submissions
  • About

New Zealand's Security Council Doctrine

22/9/2015

 
Picture
Author: Robert Ayson

John Key is off to New York for the annual Leaders Week and the UN’s 70th anniversary. With a third of New Zealand’s two-year Security Council stint already complete, it’s timely to determine whether a distinct and consistent New Zealand view has been emerging on the Council. 

Undertaking this assessment means getting through a veritable pile of statements which New Zealand’s representatives have made since January. This is a rare pleasure because the Key and McCully years have been lean ones for the production of declaratory foreign policy. At an average of six statements per month, New Zealand is on target in 2015 to exceed the total of Security Council statements made in the previous six years. Of course a very significant increase was always to be expected given New Zealand’s new (albeit temporary) role. But the five statements delivered already by New Zealand’s Foreign Minister himself outnumber the total number of his speeches to all venues in 2013 and 2014 which can be found on the Beehive archive.

Read More

What’s at Stake at the 46th Pacific Islands Forum for New Zealand?

9/9/2015

 
Picture
Author: Anna Powles

This week Pacific leaders are meeting in Port Moresby for the 46th Pacific Islands Forum. Against the backdrop of the Framework for Pacific Regionalism process, the slogan of this year’s Forum is ‘strengthening connections to enhance Pacific regionalism’. However, the meeting of the pre-eminent regional body is taking place following months of challenges to the regional governance architecture. As Australian scholar Greg Fry argues, what’s at stake in Port Moresby is no less than the future relevance of the Pacific Islands Forum.

New Zealand also has much at stake. New Zealand’s campaign for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) included the message that NZ would be a trusted and independent advocate for non-permanent member states, particularly Small Island and Developing States (SIDS). New Zealand’s success was viewed as an opportunity to champion issues that impact the Pacific at the global level. The collective support of the Pacific Islands Forum was, after all, critical for NZ's UNSC campaign. During its presidency of the Security Council in July, NZ sponsored an open debate on the peace and security challenges facing SIDS with NZ stating it is a Pacific country with a significant stake...in our region. NZ’s credibility in the neighbourhood is at stake now more than ever.

Read More

Nuclear disarmament – five steps New Zealand should take

2/9/2015

 
Picture
Author: Alyn Ware

In a recent Incline post Angela Woodward notes that New Zealand has joined with other countries in the New Agenda Coalition to strengthen the global call for nuclear disarmament. She suggests two additional actions that New Zealand could take – endorse a humanitarian pledge to ‘fill the legal gap’ required to prohibit and eliminate nuclear weapons, and provide support (political or financial) to strengthen the capacity of the International Atomic Energy Agency to verify nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation agreements.

Such actions are welcome, but in my view, not likely to contribute much. Pledges are only useful if they initiate concrete action. The nuclear weapon States in 2000 made an unequivocal pledge to achieve the total elimination of nuclear weapons. But without concrete measures and timeframes this pledge has not been implemented.   

Read More

    About

    Incline is a New Zealand-based project that publishes original analysis and commentary on issues and trends that impact New Zealand's international relations. 

    To get new posts delivered by email directly to your inbox, sign up below.

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    May 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.